I got a pair of white horseshoe/barrel jeans in the spring knowing I wanted to customize them eventually.

I wore them as is all summer and decided one day to take a break from work and start DIYing. Stamping, embroidery, dyeing, I wasn't sure about what I wanted to do until inspiration stroke. I'd simply paint them!

I started right away with a fabric paint kit I had on hand but quickly ran out of blue paint. So I ordered more and kept going.

This process was very organic. I literally saw the flowers grow from one session to the next as you can see in this Instagram highlight.

Supplies

• A pair of pants
• Textile paint
• Brushes
• A water-erasable fabric marking pen (or a pencil)
• A fabric shaver
• An iron

Tutorial

• Gather inspiration.
• Shave your fabric to remove pilling so you have a smooth surface to draw on.
• Place a piece of cardboard under your fabric to avoid bleeding and get a smooth painting surface.

• Draw your design with a water-erasable pen.

• Outline your design with a flat brush.

• Fill your design following the weave.
• Let the paint dry for about 24 hours.

• Heat set the paint for 5-10 minutes by ironing your pants wrong side out at the maximum temperature for your fabric type.
• Wait at least 10 days before washing your pants (wrong side out to preserve the design).

Now, my work project has been delivered and my creative project can be worn.

There are things I would tweak for the next time I paint fabric, but, for the most part, I'm very happy with the result.

I stumbled upon this artist post-project while writing this article. Her blog is full of inspiration and tips for painting on denim, avoiding cracking, fixing mistakes, and so much more!

Would you paint a pair of pants? What color/design would you choose?